Guardians of the Pawns
by Pink Wolf Princess
Summary: Harry, Sirius, Sally, and Percy are snowed in.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, hopefully this HP/PJO crossover will go over better than my previous one. And I all own is this very stubborn plot bunny who opted to annoy me into submission rather than playing 'hide and no seek' with all my other plot bunnies. So… thank you? 

*in response the plot bunny cackles and dresses up as Dr. Insano*

Yeah… that can't be a good sign. Happy 12/12/12 though.

Edited by Mellie Erdmann. THANK YOU!

* * *

It was a rainy Halloween night, almost the first of November. Sally Jackson had picked up her young son Perseus from the daycare once she had finally been able to leave the candy shop, the second of the two jobs she had to support the two of them. Now they could go home, eat a quick snack, and sleep until early morning. Perseus was nestled in her arms, the pink umbrella perched awkwardly above them, as Sally walked towards their home.

At least, that had been the plan until Sally all but walked into a wall of grief. Ever since she had been little, Sally could see things that few others could. It wasn't until she had met Poseidon that she learned that she could see through the Mist that kept mortals from seeing magic. But another aspect of her ability was that she could sense emotions at times. Usually she felt them only if the emotions were very strong or if she knew the person very well. So if she could feel a stranger's grief so keenly… what had happened to them?

Looking around, she spotted the person walking down the street. It was a young man, about her own age balancing a sleepy child about Perseus' age on his hip with one hand and carrying a red umbrella in the other. Actually, beyond being about the same age, the child bore a marked resemblance to Perseus- the eyes were a more intense shade of green, the hair was messier, and there was some sort of mark on his forehead but other than that they could be fraternal twins or even be mistaken for identical ones if one didn't look closely enough.

Curiously Sally wandered over. "Hello?"

Teal eyes met grey ones. Sally found herself wishing her brown hair wasn't in a messy ponytail and that she wore something besides an old brown turtleneck and jeans. The guy was nearly as handsome as Poseidon, with jet black hair and noble features. Plus he wore a very nice looking black trench coat along with matching boots and a full-looking knapsack.

"Hello?" He responded unsteadily in a British accent. Now that she was closer, Sally could feel the shock intermingling with the grief. Whatever had happened had happened very recently- it hadn't sunk it yet.

"Do you two need a place to stay? My place has a couch and your little guy can share my little guy's crib," she offered before she could think it through.

"I… I guess so," he agreed, looking lost. "Thank you?"

"No problem," she assured him. "Come on."

She led him to her little apartment, placing Perseus on the living room before heading over to the kitchen. "I have some blueberry lemonade in the fridge. And I think I have some vanilla wafers in one of the cupboards. What else…?"

"I'm not hungry," he declined.

"Padfoot, Arry hungry!" chirruped the little boy on his hip. "Ookie?"

"Ookie?" perked up Perseus. Both boys insisted in tandem, "Ookie!"

"Cookie time it is, then," Sally agreed, getting out the vanilla wafers. "Are you sure you don't want anything…?"

"I'm good," he insisted awkwardly.

Looking around, 'Arry' asked, "Where Mama? Where Prongs? Padfoot, where Mama an' Prongs? Mama wake up now?"

Stricken, 'Padfoot' said, "No. What do you mean, Mama wake up now?"

"Green light and Mama take nap," Arry explained. "Prongs too?"

"… Yeah."

The waves of grief coming off Padfoot were starting to give Sally flashbacks to when her parents and later her uncle had died. Had Arry's parents died in the near past? What had happened?

"Mama, ookie?" Perseus reminded her.

"Yes, Perseus, here's your cookie," she smiled, handing him one.

"Ookie!" cheered Arry as Sally gave him one as well, promptly nibbling on it.

"Thanks," mumbled his guardian, sitting down on the couch. Arry snuggled up against him, happily eating the treat.

"So," sighed Sally, sitting down on the floor near her son. "I'm Sally Jackson and this is my son Perseus. You two are?"

"I'm Sirius and this is my godson Harry."

"Hi!"

"Hi," agreed Perseus.

Sally had no idea how to ask about Harry's parents. Quietly Sirius told her, "They were killed, earlier tonight. Apparently Harry actually saw his mother's death… the green light."

"Green light make nap!" Harry giggled proudly. "Harry no nap! Harry no need nap!"

Sirius looked over at Harry. "What."

"Green light of no nose make Mama nap. Green light no make Arry nap, make no nose go poof," Harry explained contently. "Arry big boy! No need nap!"

"How did- what?" Sirius got out, pushing up Harry's bangs to reveal a lightning bolt scar. "This is from… oh my Merlin. Oh my Merlin. It backfired. It bloody backfired. How did THAT happen?"

"Bloody hell, Ames!" giggled Harry. "Bloody hell, Ames! Bloody hell, Ames!"

Despite him, Sirius smiled. "You do sound like your mum."

"Yay!"

"Bloody hell, Ames?" tried Perseus hopefully.

Sally ruffled her son's hair. "Nice try, little one. But it's bedtime."

"NO NAP!" shrieked Harry, suddenly panicky. "NO NAP!"

"Bath time," insisted Perseus. "No bed time- bath time."

"Bath time?" commented Harry, curious. "Bubbles?"

"Yes! BUBBLES!" laughed Perseus.

Barely bemused, Sirius commented, "I think they want a bubble bath."

"YAY!" cheered both boys.

"No bath time," frowned Sally. "Bed time."

"NO NAP!" insisted Harry vehemently.

"It's not a nap, it's bed time," Sirius reasoned. Harry sulked, sticking his thumb into his mouth.

Sirius got out a one-piece for Harry, pale yellow covered in broomsticks. Sally put Perseus into a _The Little Mermaid_ one-piece (his decision, not hers). The two boys were put into the crib, quickly falling to sleep.

"We need to talk," whispered Sally as the two exited Perseus' bedroom.

"I- all right," acknowledged Sirius, clearly not wanting to start an argument. "I suppose you do deserve an explanation."

"If you want, I can give you one in return," she suggested, kicking off her sneakers as they passed through the living room. "Fair's fair."

"Can we have some tea or hot chocolate? I'm feeling a bit homesick…" Sirius said, running a hand through his hair. "Not to mention tired."

"Sure," Sally smiled sympathetically at him.

* * *

Oh dear, Harry has developed a nap-phobia. Not that I can blame him…


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. Or Brave.

Edited by Mellie Erdmann. Thanks so much!

* * *

Sirius followed Sally into the kitchen, sitting down at the small table. Despite knowing he ought to be helping her make the tea and getting out the box of Muggle cookies, Sirius couldn't make himself care about common courtesy when it was starting to sink in that James- his best friend, his brother, his other half- had not just died but had been murdered.

"So... I'm guessing that you and Harry aren't normal- neither were his parents, were they?" the brunette asked, placing the box of cookies on the table before sitting down. Sirius winced at hearing about James and Lily in the past tense. Yet he wondered why this Muggle was so calm about the chaos he and Harry must have caused in her life.

"No," he sighed. After a moment he confessed, "We're wizards."

Sally just pursed her lips. "Wizards, huh? That's a new one…"

Getting out his wand, Sirius cast a spell on the box of cookies. "_Wingardium leviosa_!"

The box of cookies floated up about a foot and a half. Gently but firmly Sally pushed it back down onto the table. "Very nice demonstration. So who killed Harry's parents, why, and how come Harry survived?"

"The who is Lord Voldemort."

"Wow. With a name like that, no wonder he grew up to be evil. Or is this 'Lord' actually a she?"

The idea of Lord Voldemort being a girl in disguise caused Sirius to mentally check out for a minute. When he recovered, he replied, "Um, far as we know, Voldemort is male."

Sally snickered.

"Anyway, even James and Lily weren't sure why he was after them. Dumbledore probably knew but he didn't tell them or anyone else. They figured it was because they had so much in the war against him and his forces."

"So, he had an army or something?"

"Yes. It consisted of Dark wizards, some goblins, some werewolves, most of the British giants, and the dementors of course."

"Why 'of course' dementors? What even are those?"

"You don't want to know," he assured her. "You really don't. Besides, as a Muggle you wouldn't be able to see them anyway."

Sally narrowed her eyes at him. "What's a Muggle?"

"Someone like you and Percy, someone without magic."

Sally looked awkward. "I don't have magic but Percy isn't exactly normal…"

"Oh?" Sirius raised his eyebrows.

"Nuh-uh. Finish your explanation first, then I'll spill my jelly beans."

"Very well. So James, Lily, and Harry went into hiding using the Fidelius charm. Peter was the Secret Keeper, but we let everyone think it was me as a decoy."

"So why did it fail?"

Sirius rubbed his face with his hands. "I'm hoping that somehow a Death Eater figured out Peter knew something and the information was tortured out of him."

"You're _hoping_ that's what happened?"

"It's either that or Peter willingly betrayed them," Sirius stated.

"All right, that's a decent reason to hope for a friend having been tortured," Sally conceded. "So that's who and why. That leaves why Harry is alive when his parents are dead?"

"Not just his parents. Thousands- wizards, Muggles, and magical beings alike- have been killed by Avada Kedavra over the centuries. Never has there been a survivor of it: that's why it's called the Killing Curse and is one of the three Unforgivables."

"Am I going to regret asking what the other two are?"

"A torture curse and a mind control curse."

"Okay then. So by some fluke Harry survived the curse. Why didn't this Lord Voldy Mort guy try something else?"

"I'm not sure… up in their bedroom there were some empty black robes near… near Lily's body with Harry on the bed next to them. James' body was down in the living room. It looked like he showed up, James tried to hold him off and failed, Voldemort went upstairs to where Lily and Harry were, Lily died trying to protect Harry, and then something happened when Voldemort tried to kill Harry. The house was starting to fall apart by the time I arrived."

"And this happened earlier tonight?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry. I know it doesn't really mean anything, but there's not really anything else that can be said, is there?"

Sirius shrugged listlessly. The kettle whistled, causing Sally to get up and put in the tea bags. When she sat back down, she inquired, "So how did you and Harry end up here so quickly? I'm guessing by your accent you're British."

"Yes, that's right. I grabbed some of Harry's stuff and brought it along with Harry on my flying motorcycle back to my place. While I was packing that and my stuff into this duffel bag, something showed up just inside the front door."

"What?"

"Two bright blue wills of the wisp."

"Huh."

Sirius managed a weak smile. "That was my reaction. They waited until I was done packing, and vanished just as I reached them. I opened the door, and there was a trail of them leading into the woods. Perhaps it was foolish of me, but I followed them."

"Where did they lead you?"

"To an ancient stone circle. Historian wizards still don't know what the wizards of the past used them for- they were out of use by the time Rome became a regional power, and all but neglected by the time Hogwarts was founded a thousand years ago. Um, Hogwarts is the local wizarding academy."

"Ah, I see. So what happened after that?"

"Well, I'm not really sure," Sirius apologized. "Next thing I knew I was on a city street and meeting you and your son."

"So an ancient stone circle transported you to the Big Apple. _What_."

"The Big Apple?"

"New York City," Sally elaborated.

"Okay, so that's where in America I am. It felt awkward to ask."

"I can see why," Sally acknowledged.

"Your turn. First off, why are you believing me if you don't have magic?"

"Well, unlike most mortals- or Muggles, as you called us- I can see through the Mist."

"The what?"

"You know, the thing where magical stuff is blurred to make sense to our funny little non-magical heads."

"Um, we don't have that. If we did, our lives would be much easier…"

"That doesn't make sense," frowned Sally. "Hmm. I'm guessing you wizards are worldwide, right?"

"Right."

"But you and Harry are the first ones I met. Is it at all possible that the wisps took you to an inter-dimensional portal?"

"Is that really the first place your mind went?"

"Hey, I want to be a writer. That means thinking outside the box."

"Okay… But it's still clearly Halloween 1981."

"No it's not," Sally shook her head. "It's Halloween 1994."

"Oh Merlin."

"Yep. Looks like you got Harry a little too far away from danger, Sirius. Speaking of which, what exactly are you to Harry if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm his godfather since James and I are- were best friends."

"Ah. So you two are from a world of wizards, ending up in a world where the Greco-Roman pantheon is real."

"Did you just turn into me?"

Sally chose to ignore the implied bad pun and instead explained the magic in this world. "Yeah. I'm one of the few mortals who can see through the Mist to see the reality of gods and monsters that coexist here. That's how I ended becoming a mother…" Sally smiled nostalgically. "I walked up to a man and asked why he was carrying a trident when everyone else saw it as a fishing pole."

Sirius quickly racked his mind for what a trident meant in mythology. "Poseidon?"

"Exactly. As much as I love Percy… I'm afraid for him. He shouldn't exist. Decades ago, Poseidon, along with Zeus and Hades, vowed on the River Styx not to have any more children."

"But that was…"

"The vow is still in effect. So that means trouble for Percy once he's old enough that his scent can attract monsters."

"Scent?"

"Demigods apparently have a 'scent' that monsters can track. The stronger the demigod, the stronger the scent. And Poseidon is one of the Big Three…"

"So Percy will have a very strong scent."

"Yes," whispered Sally. "I'll do whatever I can to protect him… But I'm scared, no, terrified that it won't be enough."

Sirius looked at her quietly. "I know that feeling."

"I think the tea is done," Sally abruptly changed the subject, standing up. As she poured the tea, she asked, "So why does Harry call you Padfoot and his father Prongs?"

"Oh, those are our nicknames. It's a long story," Sirius laughed weakly.

"What do you want in your tea?"

"Just some honey, please."

"Okay." As she added honey to their mugs of tea, Sally asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm not sure."

"I think you might want to find another stone circle. The monsters might be able to pick up on you wizards' scent. I know the children of Hecate do magic but are still tracked by monsters."

"But how?" Sirius asked as Sally brought over their mugs of tea.

"I'm not sure…"

"Well, if we do, maybe you and Percy should come along. That way we'll all be safe."

For a few minutes they just sipped their warm teas. At last Sally admitted, "I would like that. Thank you, Sirius."

There came a slight noise. Turning their heads, they saw a wisp waiting at the front door for whenever they chose to leave. Sirius chuckled. "I think the wisps might have dropped us off here so that you and Percy can join us."

"We can leave in the morning," decided Sally. "I can sleep on the couch if you want the bed."

"No thanks, I don't want to displace your spot. I'll be fine on the couch."

"All right." Finishing off her tea, Sally stood up. "Night, Sirius."

"Night, Sally. Thank you," Sirius sighed, staring into his tea. Sally gently squeezed his shoulder on her way past.


	3. Chapter 3

All right, time for the road trip to begin! Huzzah!

I don't own Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or Brave.

Edited by Mellie E, who is VERY helpful in telling me what Harry & Percy are capable of at this age. I'm going to try to do better so she can focus on everything else I mess up. O.o

* * *

Sally and Sirius found themselves woken up at five in the morning by twin wails. Apparently either Harry or Percy had had a nightmare and his cries had made the other cry as well. Sally changed their diapers and got them dressed while Sirius enchanted four more duffel bags for maximum packing. While he made pancakes and the toddlers bonded over a rubber ducky, Sally packed, knowing odds were they weren't coming back any time soon, if ever. So she made sure to bring along everything of sentimental and/or financial value.

By the time she was done, Sirius had finished the pancakes and had made some scrambled eggs as well. They ate quietly except for when Percy had somehow managed to soak both himself and Harry in orange juice. While Sirius gave them a quick bath and changed their clothes, Sally threw whatever food could be packed into a duffel bag and stuffed everything else into a trash bag.

It was just past seven when they were certain they were ready to leave. Percy now wore a blue sweater, overalls, and sneakers; Harry wore the same but his sweater was red. Sirius wore an indigo turtleneck with dark slacks and black boots, forgoing a robe; Sally wore a white long-sleeved shirt under a dark yellow sundress with her white sneakers.

All this time the will of the wisp had waited patiently by the front door. But the moment they approached, it vanished. Sirius grumbled, "That's starting to get unnerving."

"I suppose it'll show back up when we need to choose a path," guessed Sally. Quietly they left the apartment building and went to the parking garage where Sally kept her rundown car. They loaded it up, put in the second car seat Sally had gotten at a garage sale, put in the toddlers, and then Sirius and Sally got in.

Looking around, Sirius noted, "Shouldn't the wheel be on the right rather than the left?"

"Hmm? Oh, no. It's on the left here in the States," Sally informed him.

Sirius blinked, baffled. "Weird."

"That's odd coming from a wizard," she teased him, turning on the car. "Now, I must warn you- city traffic is horrendous. It's going to be a slow start to this trip."

"That's all right," he commented. "After all, it's not like we're in any rush to get to… well, wherever we're going."

"Back to Mama an' Prongs?" tried Harry hopefully.

"No, Harry."

Harry pouted, clearly getting ready to start crying. Nervously Sirius told him, "It's going to be okay someday, Harry, it really will."

"Padfoot sure, Padfoot?"

"Yeah, I promise. It's going to be okay."

"Someday," sighed Sally as she drove the car out of the parking garage. Sirius sighed as well, echoing her. "Someday."

* * *

Despite Sally's warning, Sirius had been surprised by just how long it had taken to leave New York City. It took long enough that they had to stop for lunch and diaper changing just miles outside the city. The afternoon had passed quietly enough as they traveled down the highway.

It was past ten, with Harry and Percy sound asleep in the back seat. Sirius judged they had gone about a couple hundred miles. Sally turned into a motel parking lot, saying, "I think we ought to stop for the night. I'll check us in. You stay here with the kids."

"All right," yawned Sirius as Sally parked the car. He watched her go through the front entrance, wondering what exactly he had gotten into. Sirius and his godson were alone in a strange world, depending on a single mother whose son was a demigod. On the trip he and Sally spotted a few mythological creatures such as centaurs and winged horses. Closing his eyes, Sirius tried to believe that he could succeed in protecting Harry where James and Lily- his parents- had failed.

James was dead. It still didn't seem real. How could James be dead? How could he be, when he was so full of life, so full of hope and energy? They were always together, brothers in every way that mattered. The four of them had been all close, yes, but he and James had always been the closest. Everyone called for James when they wanted Sirius and for Sirius when they wanted James, that's how close they were. They had only ever had one fight, and that fight had nearly broken both of them. That fight had been needed, though, for them to strengthen their bond and to realize how they needed to change in order to grow up to be worthy wizards. Now Sirius was alone except for a godson who would grow up not remembering his parents and a mother and son who had never met James or Lily. And to top it off, he wouldn't get to attend their funeral.

Sally returned, hands in her coat pockets. "Come on, I got us a room with a double bed. You and Harry can have one, and Percy and I can have the other."

"All right," nodded Sirius. They transported themselves, Sally's diaper bag, a backpack, and the sleeping toddlers to the nondescript room. First Harry and Percy had to have their diapers changed, and then attempted to give them a snack. But neither wanted food, only sleep. So they were put into their pajamas and permitted to fall back asleep.

Getting out a coppery coin, Sally suggested, "Coin toss for who gets to use the bathroom first?"

"You can go," Sirius assured her, kicking off his boots. "I can wait."

"Thanks," she smiled, grabbing a toothbrush and an oversized Star Trek T-shirt out of the backpack. "I'll try to be fast."

"Take your time," he shrugged, flopping down onto the bed next to his sleeping godson. "Odds are I'll be sleeping soon myself."

Watching Harry, Sirius felt overwhelmed. Here was a little person he had known since the day Harry was born. Actually, before that. Sirius remembered placing his hand on Lily's melon-like stomach to feel Harry kicking, excited to come out and see the world. But the world apparently hadn't been so excited to see him. Now his parents were dead and if Lord Voldemort was still alive (and let's face, Sirius hadn't found his body) he would try to go after Harry again.

Drowsily Harry opened his eyes that looked so much like his mother's- the only part of him that did, really. Reaching out to grab Sirius' nose he asked, "Doggy? Arry want huggies."

Sirius was torn. On one hand, he hadn't exactly told Sally about him being an illegal Animagus. On the other, he had always found it difficult to resist Harry's requests for 'huggies'. Pulling Harry closer, Sirius whispered, "Isn't Padfoot enough?"

Arry frowned. "Padfoot want huggies?"

"Padfoot need huggies too," Sirius acknowledged, his voice breaking. Harry burrowed his face into Sirius' chest, clinging to his chest.

"Padfoot happy?"

"Yeah," Sirius admitted, hugging Harry tightly. "You?"

"Arry miss Mama and Prongs."

"I miss them too, Harry," Sirius got out, desperately trying not to cry.

"Percy have huggies?" came a little voice from the other bed.

"No," Harry flatly informed the other tot.

"Why?" came the indigent response.

"Per-see no miss Mama and Prongs!"

"Bloody hell, Ames!" grumbled Percy, but after that outburst he subsided, content to chew on the nearest pillow.

When Sally got out of the bathroom, she saw that Sirius and Harry had fallen asleep hugging tightly to one another while her sleeping boy had chewed and then drooled over most of his pillow.

In the morning, once the boys had been changed and dressed, Sirius got a chance to use the bathroom while Sally fed the boys some animal crackers and fruit gummies for breakfast, sneaking a few for herself. After that, it was time to pay the bill before hitting the road again.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. And yes, this shall continue! Huzzah!

Thanks to Mellie for editing!

* * *

It was a clear late autumn day as they drove along, the toddlers 'talking' between themselves. Quietly Sirius asked her, "Sally, are we doing the right thing? I mean, taking them out of their worlds- away from their fates?"

Sally's hands tightened around the steering wheel. "I don't know. Just like I don't know if it's fair for a bunch of teenagers to be burdened with the task of protecting a world. Or that an evil wizard can be free to attack with intent to kill so many people, including babies."

Sirius looked back at his godson, whispering, "Or that a baby's parents can be so easily taken away from him and those who loved them."

"It's hard, losing your parents," agreed Sally. "And now Harry won't even remember them once he grows up even a bit. Just like how Percy won't remember his father… though Percy never met him."

"Per-see?" went Percy, having heard his name. Harry perked up as well, echoing, "Per-see?"

"Yes, that's you, Percy," Sally smiled.

"It must be difficult, being a single mother," acknowledged Sirius.

"Yes. And even worse, I wouldn't have been able to explain things to Percy when he began to realize he was different… because that would only make his scent more noticeable, and make him even more vulnerable."

"Ouch. No wonder you decided to come along with me to… um, wherever we're going."

Sally had to chuckle. "Yes, well, the good old 'anywhere has to be better than here' mentality. And besides, it's a way to ensure that Percy won't be subjected to his uncles' combined wrath."

"Because his father broke that oath? That doesn't seem fair."

"It's not," sighed Sally. "But that's how it will be if Percy grows up here."

"So where are we going?" wondered Sirius, closing his eyes. "Where can we go?"

"I don't know. Hopefully those wisps will show up again to, well, show us a path to safety."

"And if they don't?"

"We'll come up with a plan B," Sally stated.

"Prongs was good at those," mused Sirius morosely.

"Prongs?" chirruped Harry hopefully.

Sally gasped at the wave of pain that emitted from Sirius at that. Tightening her grip on the steering wheel, she advised him, "You have to focus on Harry. He needs you."

"What hurts even more is that I know a day will come in the near future when he'll stop asking… and a little further off he won't remember them anymore," Sirius whispered. "He won't remember his parents. I can't… Prongs couldn't wait to teach Harry Quidditch. Lily was half-excited half-afraid for the day he would go to Hogwarts. Both wanted him to make friends with the kids of their friends- with Alice and Frank's son especially, since Neville is only a day older than Harry."

Sally didn't know what to say to that. At least she could remember her parents.

"Now he might never go to Hogwarts. James and Lily's son not go to Hogwarts? How can I make that sort of decision?"

"Because you are his guardian now. He is your first responsibility. And if he's not safe in your world, and won't be for the foreseeable future… then you did the right thing in leaving. I have to believe I'm doing the right thing for Percy."

"What makes you doubt that you are?" Hurriedly he added, "If you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind," Sally told him, her hands still taut on the wheel. "I'm worried that I'm denying Percy his heritage. He is a demigod… they are born to fight the monsters that the gods will not due to the rules of them not interfering in each other's realms. And since the monsters always reform over time, there will always be a need for demigods. As a child of the Big Three, Percy will end up as a leader of them if he stays here. Or at the very least, a powerful ally for them. That's how things are."

"That doesn't mean that's the way they should be. Take my world. Muggles are looked down upon, even wizards born to Muggles. The same applies to most non-human magical beings. I flatter myself I'm fairly forward-thinking, but even I don't know about giving equality to, say, goblins and mermaids."

"Was Lord Voldemort pro or anti Muggle?"

"Anti, very anti. That might have been part of the reason he- the reason-" Taking a deep breath, Sirius started over. "Lily had Muggle parents, so that might have been part of the reason he went after her and James."

"That's awful," Sally commented at length, unable to come up with anything better.

Sirius just nodded, tired. The shock was all but gone now, and the grieving had begun. The two didn't converse again until they were eating at a fast food place the next day. While Sirius had ordered and gotten the food for their dinner, Sally had changed both boys' diapers. The toddlers had milkshakes and fries while the adults had actual meals.

With his burger gone, Sirius asked, "So, which direction should we head? North or west? We came from the south and there isn't much to the east until we hit the pond."

"Pond?" giggled Sally.

"Yes, well…" Sirius trailed off, desperately trying to not to blush.

Sally smiled at him. "I know the expression, but it's just funny to me for Poseidon's domain to be called a pond…"

"Uh-huh," went Sirius. "Okay, we're starting to run low on money though. Maybe we should go off the grid a bit? I can transform stuff into petrol, but we'll still need to buy food."

"Right. I think we should head north a while longer."

"Why?"

Sally gestured towards the window. Turning his head, Sirius saw a wisp gently glowing to the north.

"Ah. North it is then."

After driving for another two hours, Sally pulled over shortly before the road went into a forest. Yawning, she said, "I can't drive anymore, sorry."

Sirius looked guilty.

"It's not your fault. I don't mind doing all the driving, but I can't do any more tonight."

"Thank you," said Sirius, unbuckling his seat belt. "It's all right. We can sleep here. Let me just grab a few blankets out of the trunk for us."

Full from their dinner, Harry and Percy were already asleep. Careful not to wake them, Sirius stretched a blanket over them. Getting back into his seat, he passed over one of the two remaining blankets to Sally and kept the last one for himself.

"Sleep well, Sally."

"You too, Sirius."

There was a thin strip of light on the eastern horizon when Harry woke up the rest of them with his wailing. Clearly the infant had had another nightmare about his parents' deaths. While Sirius soothed his godson, Sally got out the last of the vanilla wafers for breakfast.

"We really ought to get some healthier food to eat," she commented to Sirius while feeding Percy his breakfast of slightly stale cookies.

"Yeah," acknowledged Sirius, a sniffling Harry on his hip. "But the bad stuff is cheaper and lasts longer."

"Still, they're growing boys…"

"Okay, okay. Healthier food it is," Sirius backed down. "So, into the Forbidden Forest we go?"

"Forbidden Forest?"

"Ah, a place on the Hogwarts grounds. It was forbidden to the students."

"Which means you and your three friends went in there all the time," Sally guessed. Sirius gave her a charming smile. "You know me so well."

"Get back into the car."

"Yes, ma'am."

Sally stuck out her tongue at him. Harry did the same to her. Laughing, Sirius put the black-haired boy into his car seat. "You are definitely your father's son!"

Harry giggled happily, his nightmare having faded away.

Checking that Percy was secure in his seat, Sally shut his door and opened her own. "Okay, you wizards, let's get this magic show on the road!"

"That was an awful pun," Sirius informed her as he got into the car.

"For that you don't get any cookies," the brunette smirked.

Mimicking his godson, Sirius complained, "Bloody hell, Ally!"

She just blew a raspberry at him before starting up the car.


	5. Chapter 5

I own neither Harry Potter nor Percy Jackson.

Thanks to Mellie Erdmann for editing!

* * *

The forest was silent, most of the trees leafless. Birds had flown south months ago, and it was the lull between diurnal and nocturnal creatures. The grass was dried and browned, and the sky was overcast. Overall, it was a gloomy atmosphere.

"This is eerie," Sally remarked at length. "I don't like this."

"Same," agreed Sirius. "Usually when a place feels like this… Death Eaters are nearby."

"Death Eaters?"

"The wizard followers of Lord Voldemort," he explained tersely. "But there can't be Death Eaters here… unless they followed me and Harry."

"Bye-bye?" Harry chimed in. Percy affirmed loudly, "BYE!"

"I think our boys have the right of it- let's get moving and get out of here as soon as possible," agreed Sirius.

Nodding, Sally matched the speed limit. She thought to herself, _"Our boys? Well, it does sound nice… no, Sally. Focus on the here and now. _Focus_."_

"Sally?" frowned her companion.

Blushing, Sally realized she had said the last word out loud. "Sorry. Nerves."

"Mm," agreed Sirius. "Oh, lovely. It's snowing now."

Snowflakes were indeed beginning to fall in a surprisingly large quantity. Sally was forced to slow down as she turned on the car's headlights. The snow made it difficult to see for more than a few feet ahead, and they did not need to hit a tree.

"Shouldn't there be other cars?" Sirius asked after several minutes. "We haven't seen any since we came in here."

"Maybe this is a rarely used road?" Sally suggested hopefully, but she doubted it. And from the expression on Sirius' face, he felt the same.

They continued on the straight road through the woods. Snow kept falling, making travel even more difficult. But Sally felt it was safer to keep going rather than pull over to wait for the snow to stop.

"Doggy!" squealed Harry in delight. The sudden sound startled the other three. Looking where Harry was pointing, Percy gleefully agreed, "Doggy!"

But the adults were far less enthused. A pack of huge hounds, each bigger than the car, was loping towards them. The lead one let out a howl of triumph.

"Oh-"

"The kids!" Sally quickly reminded Sirius.

"Oh no," Sirius gulped. "Okay, you stay with the kids. I'll handle these… doggies, as Harry and Percy have dubbed them."

Sally glowered at him. Defensively Sirius told her, "Hey, this isn't about you being a girl. I've been trounced by enough girls but you don't have magic. I do. The 'doggies' aren't normal. You guys keep going, I'll catch up. Promise."

"Good luck," Sally told him, slowing the car down to a halt, as he unbuckled his seat belt.

"Don't need it," he grinned confidently before exiting the car, wand in hand. He shut the car door behind him, waving for her to keep going. As Sally did so, he hexed the lead hound, causing it to crash into a tree, toppling it.

"PADFOOT!" screeched Harry as the car kept going. "PADFOOT! PADFOOT! PADFOOT!"

Percy was suitably freaked out as Harry continued to scream for his 'Padfoot', flailing desperately. A lightning bolt struck a nearby tree, momentarily bursting into flames before the snow put them out. Sally didn't know which was the worse option- if Zeus had done that or if Harry had.

As she kept driving as fast as she dared with the heavy snowfall, behind them they heard the growls and outraged howls of the beasts and occasionally the sharp crack as Sirius performed another spell. Harry had dissolved into quiet sobs, hiccupping every several seconds in agony. Percy continued to just stare at the other boy, occasionally glancing at his mom as if to say 'what on Earth is wrong with him?'

But Sally just kept driving, praying that Sirius would be all right. Praying that the four of them could in fact escape the destinies they had been given. Before long she was silently crying along with Harry, his pain radiating off him. Seeing both his new friend and his mother crying, Percy promptly joined in.

An hour passed, then two. They were still in the forest, it was still snowing. About the only thing that had changed was that they had run out of tears and that the snow was deep enough it was becoming risky to drive at all. Then Sally spotted an abandoned shop, presumably left behind when chain stores had filled the nearby rest stops.

"Break time," she told the toddlers, pulling over into the tiny parking lot. "Let's go."

She got the boys out of their car seats and led them over to the locked front door. While Harry and Percy attempted to make snow angels Sally got out the diaper bag from the trunk, found a rock, and broke open the lock. Pushing the door open, she said, "Percy! Harry! Come over here!"

The snow-covered boys hurried over and ran into the dusty and shadowy shop. Sally closed the door behind her. Plopping down, Harry looked around and asked plaintively, "Padfoot?"

"Oh gods, not again," winced Sally. Crouching down next to the young boy, she told him, "Padfoot will be back soon, okay?"

Big green eyes looked up at her miserably. "Padfoot with Prongs and Mama?"

"Oh, no, sweetie. No. He'll be back soon," Sally assured him. Harry managed a weak smile, sniffling. Wandering over, Percy patted the other boy on the head.

"Poor Arry."

"Poor Arry," sighed Harry woefully. "Poor Per-see?"

"No. Per-see has Mama."

"Arry no Mama," Harry moped. "Hic. Arry no Prongs. Arry no Padfoot. Arry no buddy."

"Per-see Arry."

"And Arry Per-see," acknowledged Harry, hugging the other boy. After a moment Percy returned the hug.

Sally hugged them both, trying not to cry. She tried to reassure herself as well as the boys by saying, "It's going to be all right."

Soon they were playing around with a bucket they had found in a corner. Sally, meanwhile, sat on the counter to keep open eye out for Sirius while keeping the other on the boys. But the heavy snowfall combined with the dusty window kept her from seeing much. It wasn't until the three of them were having juice boxes and graham crackers for lunch that there was a knock at the door.

Getting up, Sally opened the door to see a tired but very much alive Sirius. Her first instinct was to hug him tightly, laughing in relief. He returned the hug, commenting, "Hi, Sally."

"PADFOOT!" screamed both boys, running over (albeit with one or two falls each). They each got a leg of his to hug. Harry began to cry again, this time out of happiness at least.

Bemusedly, Sirius said, "Aren't you all overreacting? I just had to cope with some oversized dogs. It's not like they were Death Eaters or, Merlin forbid, gods."

Looking past Sirius into the snow, Harry decided to press his luck and ask for Prongs and Mama again. Ruefully Sirius answered in the negative. After a moment Harry sighed heavily and resumed hugging Sirius' leg.

"Arry happy Padfoot okay."

"And Padfoot is happy Harry is okay. And Percy and Sally."

"We're all glad we're all okay," laughed Sally. "So let's get back to lunch."

"Great," grinned Sirius as the group hug ended and the door was closed. "What is it this time?"

"Juice boxes and graham crackers. Do you want apple, grape, or orange?" Sally asked.

"Grape I suppose."

So the four of them sat down and ate, relieved that for the time being they were safe and together.


	6. Chapter 6

I own neither Harry Potter nor Percy Jackson. Or Brave.

Once again, thanks to Mellie for editing!

It continued to snow for the rest of the day. Exhausted, Harry and Percy fell asleep early in a sleeping bag Sally had found on a shelf. After that Sirius and Sally sat side by side, leaning against the counter. Resting his head on her shoulder, Sirius asked, "Do you think we'll be attacked by monsters again?"

"I don't know," Sally admitted. "I hope that the gods don't know about Percy… let alone what we're up to. They wouldn't take kindly to that."

"Sally?"

"Yeah?"

"If you knew about the oath Poseidon made, then why did you risk… I mean, I doubt mortal… um… I doubt Muggle protection is very effective when it comes to gods," Sirius asked, flushing bright red.

"Oh. Well… honestly, I was afraid to say no. I mean, he was always kind to me… but I never could quite get all those tales of the gods raping those who refused to be with them willingly out of my head. And it wasn't until after I was pregnant with Percy that he explained all of what Percy would experience as a result of simply existing." Sally pulled her knees up to her chest. "And yet… I love Percy too much to regret anything."

"He is a great kid."

"What about you? How did you and James get to be so close?"

"We met on the train to Hogwarts our first year. That year there were only four male Gryffindors: myself, James, Peter, and Remus. So partly just from being in every class together and sharing a dorm we became close. But James and I became best friends."

"Was it the same for Peter and Remus?"

"No. Peter just tagged along and Remus went with the flow even when he shouldn't have…" Sirius looked rather awkward. "James and I did have and used our mean streak against Slytherins a lot. But we justified it with them starting it half the time and never doing anything against the younger years. Plus our main targets were Death Eater fan boys, so in some ways it was a mini version of what was going on outside of Hogwarts. But we did take it too far sometimes… well, I did and James got caught up with it."

"But you two outgrew it?"

"Yeah. Mostly when… well, I went too far. James and Remus were utterly furious with me for like two months. Poor Peter was caught in the middle. But I deserved it. So that got us to tone it down unless they started it. And of course, once we were out of Hogwarts most of them joined the Death Eaters and we joined up with the Order of the Phoenix."

"Which fights against Death Eaters, I'm guessing."

"Yeah. My own little brother was a Death Eater until he realized the lengths Voldemort was willing to go. But you don't leave the Death Eaters, so he died. My parents were devastated- he was their perfect little Slytherin son. Plus it meant me, the idiot Gryffindor runaway, was the heir again due to pureblood law. Had there been a funeral, I would have been hexed on sight."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Peter and Remus didn't really get it, since they were only children. James only got it because we were close enough to be brothers…"

"I'm an only child as well. Well, my parents died when I was young, so that was part of it. My uncle raised me until he died shortly after I left college to care for him while he was dying. Then I moved to New York City, and a few months later I met Poseidon."

"So you don't have anyone besides Percy in your life?"

"Not really. And without James…"

"I have Harry and Remus back in my world. James and Lily are dead, and Peter is either dead or a traitor. But that's it, really." Sirius laughed hollowly. "War doesn't leave a lot of time to make good friends…"

"I suppose so," mumbled Sally, reaching over to squeeze his hand. "I'm sorry."

Squeezing her hand back, Sirius stated, "It's not your fault. It's Voldemort's. That-"

"Not in front of the kids."

"They're asleep!"

"Still."

"Fine. That jerk-face of a wizard. Better?"

Sally giggled. "Yes."

There was silence for some time, both lost in their own thoughts. In time the snowfall began to fade to nearly nothing. Sally gently tugged on his hand, whispering, "You asleep?"

"Nope."

"Were you thinking about anything in particular? I was wondering where we'll go next."

"I'm trying to… come to a decision."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"Want to talk about it?"

"I can't, because the decision involves whether or not to talk about it to you."

"That doesn't sound good."

Sirius sighed, his breath ruffling her hair. "It's just that, I ought to talk it over with James, Remus, and Peter beforehand but James is dead, Peter is either dead or a traitor, and Remus is back in my world."

"I hear that sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness rather than ask for permission," Sally volunteered. Sirius chuckled. Impishly she added, "And I'm not just saying because I want to know the secret."

"Very well. What do you know about werewolves?"

"Um, here Lycan was the first one. He got cursed by Zeus back in ancient times when Lycan tried to feed him human flesh. And that's about all I can remember. Why?"

There was quiet. Sally nudged the man. "Sirius?"

"Okay, okay. We have werewolves in my world too, some good and some bad. But all of them are mistrusted and are prejudiced by wizarding society. Admittedly on the nights of the full moon they become a beast, their personality shoved aside for primal urges… the foremost being the lust for human and human only blood. If their victims survive, they become werewolves themselves."

"All right."

"When he was small, Remus got bitten by a werewolf. But Headmaster Dumbledore agreed that he could come to Hogwarts anyway, arranging a special secluded place for him to be contained in during those nights. But James and I picked up on the pattern soon enough- towards the end of our first year the three of us confronted him."

Sirius looked out the window at the pitch black sky. He whispered, "He cried when it sank in that not only would we keep his secret, but remain his friends. And then James revealed his plan."

"Which was?"

"Werewolves only hunt and harm humans. And James is- was brilliant at Transfiguration."

Sally gasped in shock. "Don't tell me that-"

"We learned how to turn into animals. Well, one for each of us. Remus couldn't. It took us a couple of years, but we did before having to take our OWLs."

"OWLs?"

"Ordinary Wizarding Levels; they're taken at the end of fifth year. So James was a stag, and Peter was a rat and don't say anything about stereotypes please."

"Okay, okay." After a brief pause she asked, "And you?"

He grinned. "Want to see?"

"Yes!"

Letting go of her hand, Sirius shifted into a large black mutt. His grey eyes bright and tail wagging, he licked her cheek. Sally giggled and scratched behind his ears.

"Aw, you're adorable!"

Sirius looked miffed.

"Well, you are," she insisted, hugging him. "And fluffy."

He huffed but gave her another lick on the cheek.

"So I'm guessing this was a big secret because it's illegal?"

The dog stepped back and turned back into Sirius. Abashed he admitted, "Yeah. You're supposed to register with the Ministry of Magic if you become an Animagus but you have to be at least 17. And we didn't want to wait, especially since we couldn't very well explain why we were doing it to anyone who asked and why Remus wasn't joining us."

"Yeah," Sally conceded as Sirius resettled into his spot next to her. "So besides you four did anyone else know?"

"James told Lily shortly before they got married. And Harry knows… as much as an under two-year-old can know."

"Mm." Sally wondered if this meant she ought to tell Sirius about the 'side effect' of her being able to see through the Mist.

"Sally?"

"Okay, fair's fair. Sometimes… I can sense emotions. Like, that's how I knew you needed help when we first met. It's not very strong but it can happen. I think it's part of me being able to see through the Mist."

"Huh."

"Yeah, and the scary thing is that I'm the most typical person in this group."

"Exactly!" grinned Sirius.

Sally made a face. "So, where do you think the wisps are leading us?"

"Who knows?"

"I hope they know."

Sirius thought this over. "Yeah, that's a good point. I hope they know where they're leading us."

"Uh-huh. We don't have passports to go into Canada… I'd rather not do anything illegal."

"Yeah… becoming an underage Animagus is enough illegal stuff for me."

Sally gave him a look.

"What? It is!"

"I know that. That's why I'm giving you a look."

"Very funny."

"I know."

Sirius looked over at the sleeping toddlers. "I hope they're warm enough over there."

"I think so. How about you?"

Now Sirius gave her a look.

"Yeah, it's a cold night. At least it's stopped snowing."

"There is that." Sirius got up. "I'll go find us a blanket."

"Okay, thanks."

It took him several minutes but Sirius returned with two dusty quilts. "Here we go."

They laid down one and then covered themselves with the other quilt. Snuggling towards her bedmate, Sally had to smile. "This is nice."

Awkwardly Sirius acknowledged, "Yeah, it is."

"You could even say… this is Sirius-ly nice."

They both cracked up at the horrible pun. Remembering the sleeping boys, they quickly hushed themselves. Sally apologized, "That was truly a bad pun."

"Eh, I do it a lot," Sirius grinned, wrapping his arms around her. Blinking sleepily, he echoed Sally's sentiment. "And this is nice."

"Uh-huh," yawned Sally.

Before long Sally and Sirius were sleeping as soundly as their young charges.


End file.
